Author Archives: Wendy Garcia

It cannot be denied that mortgage interest rates are very low at present. Plus, although they are rising, home prices are still affordable. However, it is important to understand that these two factors do not automatically make any property a good purchase. The market currently favors the buyer. However, you do have to exert due diligence before you buy. There are various red flags that will tell you not to buy a property. Some problems can be fixed, of course, but sometimes you should just move on. There are two things you definitely have to look into.

Firstly, always look at the neighborhood. Are there many homes for sale and many boarded up shops? Speak to others in the street and ask them about the community. Also check out the land. Foundations could be damaged by rain water if the yard slopes downwards to the property. Use your nose: bad smells in or out the property are a bad sign. Also look for bugs and insects. Make sure you speak to others in the street about this, as they are likely to know about pests.

The second important thing is to look into whether the home you are considering is going through foreclosure or is in short sale. Although it is true that these are the cheapest properties, they are also often in poor condition and in bad neighborhoods.

The reality is that you are the only one who can decide whether or not to buy a property. Also, homes with problems are often available at much cheaper prices. However, if you find you have purchased a true money pit property, or that it is impossible to sell it at a later date, then is it really worth it? Do always remember that a house is more than just bricks and mortar, but rather a place for people to build memories in, and those should be good memories. Although it is certainly true that you should look into the condition of the actual property, focusing on the neighborhood is equally important. To check on the actual property, all you really need to do is hire the services of a property inspector. When it comes to the neighborhood, however, you need to have a personal feel, something that cannot be achieved by a check box list.

If someone is eager to sell their property, they may keep a few defects hidden. It is unfortunate that if you were to hire a professional inspector for each viewing, it would get incredibly expensive. Therefore, here are some things that are obvious even to a novice which can tell you not to buy the home.

Firstly, always look at the neighborhood. Is the number of homes and businesses dwindling? Talk to your potential new neighbors and ask what the area is like. Have a look at how the land is shaped. If you find that the yard slopes downward towards the property, it is possible that rainwater would run down it and damage the foundations. You should also look into whether there are any weird smells in and out of the property. Bugs and insects are a bad sign as well. This is also something to ask others in the neighborhood about as they are likely to know all about past insect, rodent or other pests problems.

A number of things may also have happened to a property that are very hard to restore. Some of these issues include water damage, pest damage, asbestos, mold and faulty wiring. Sadly, in order to see these problems, you may require quite specialized skills yourself. The current owners may not even know that the problem is there. If they do know any of these problems are present, they may do all they can to keep them hidden. In order to hide these types of issues, all that needs to be done is a bit of cleaning and reducing how much power is being used. In order to find out whether these issues are present, you will need a professional home inspection; but you can also speak to community members. They can tell you about the history of various properties in the area. Generally speaking, major problems like pests, water damage and mold will occur in more than one property.

The bottom line is that you should never purchase a property without having it professionally inspected. However, the hints and tips above should tell you whether or not it is worth investing in an inspection at all. If any problems are present, you can choose to walk away from the property, or you can request a huge discount on the purchase price so you can arrange the necessary repairs. Do also make sure you listen to professional inspectors’ advice. They are there to make sure you don’t buy something that isn’t worth your while.

The perfect real estate investment is one that has high returns and very low risks. This is only possible if you know how to make smart choices. To give you a foot in the door, consider the following three things that make a great real estate investment.

If you do really want to invest in realty, you must have the right things. First, you need the capital to make an investment. You should also look into the overall real estate market and the neighborhoods you are interested in.

On a personal level, you need to learn to manage and negotiate and you need to have people skills. You also need to be able to do repairs, or have a team of people to do this for you. And, finally, hire a property inspector. In most cases, a real estate investor becomes a landlord. This also means you need to learn how to vet potential renters and how to be a landlord. To make it in real estate investing, you need money to spend so you an make more. It will be nearly impossible to get involved in this world without having some money of your own. You are now ready to start looking into locations to invest in. Go to the library and use the internet or even go to town board meetings. Find out not just about current situations, but also about future development plans.

If you don’t have a lot of money to invest in a property yourself, it is easier to get started in this world if you are still young. This is because banks usually want at least 20% as a down payment before agreeing on a mortgage. Unfortunately, 20% can be much too high, particularly if the property needs repairs as well. However, those who are younger can often get better deals on mortgages, as they have longer to pay them back. There is a lot more to real estate investing than this. One of the things you will need to work out is which property to invest in at all. Finding a property involves a whole lot of research and analysis as well. You also need to spend some time looking for a realtor that can represent your interest. Their goal is to make sure that you find good properties and make solid investments. You will then need to look into what it means to be a good landlord, something that will take a considerable amount of time to learn. Do remember that it is time worth spending.

The goal of any real estate investor is to earn as much as possible with minimal risk. You can only achieve this if you know how to make smart choices. Luckily, if you know the three things that indicate a great real estate investment, you are a step closer to achieving that.

First, you need something with a good return. Real estate is an illiquid asset that requires you to minimize on your liquid assets. You need to make sure that the rate of return you get is similar to the one you were getting through liquid investments. This means that you should find a true cash flow property, and not a money pit.

If you use this knowledge and apply it to real estate, you need to look for cash flow rather than appreciation. The cash flow of a property is the money you have left over from the rental price after you have paid for all the necessary bills in relation to that property. The best possible investment allows you to leave your cash flow untouched in a bank account somewhere. Your cash flow will also go up as rent prices go up. If your mortgage payments stay the same, then your cash flow will be even better. You should be looking at a cash flow of at least 20%. There are a number of free to use cash flow calculators available online and you should use these at much as possible.

You may want to consider investing through a REIT (real estate investment rrust). Although this means you don’t need as much money to get started, it also means the returns are smaller. When you sign up with a REIT, your money is invested in real estate corporations. This can be anything from a construction company to a theme park. You can find the value of a REIT on the stock exchange and NASDAQ. A REIT, essentially, is like a mutual fund that only looks at real estate. You do need to think about a few things before you invest in a REIT. Look into the economic conditions of the locations of the key holdings first. Next, find out what the past performance of the REIT has been like. Also look into their future plans. Also, you need to look into who manages the REIT and how they have performed. A final thing to look into is the state of the current real estate market and how this will affect the performance of the REIT.